No New Year without ‘Soviet Champagne’
Published 25 December, 2008, 14:08
The French jealously protect Champagne as their national treasure, forbidding others to use the appellation for any sparkling wine produced anywhere other than in their celebrated province.
Nonetheless, Russians are proud of their own brand of sparkling wine called ‘Soviet Champagne’, which has been an inalienable part of Russian wine culture and, particularly, New Year celebrations.
The Russian sparkling wine was born 72 years ago, when Josef Stalin signed a decree ordering production of ‘Soviet Champagne’ – or, more accurately, sparkling wine called ‘Sovetskoye Shampanskoye’. The first wineries appeared in the southern city of Rostov and later in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), in central Russia.
Nobody doubts that the high price tag of French Champagne is justified, and many are ready to pay as much as it takes for the exquisite pleasure. The concept of its Soviet analogue was completely different: the Communist Party wanted winemakers to come up with a cheap sparkling wine affordable to most workers.
It was chemist Anton Frolov-Bagreev who took up the difficult task. The man considered to be the founding father of ‘Soviet Champagne’ devoted his entire life to perfecting his technology.
‘Sovetskoye Shampanskoye’ was manufactured at a number of wineries across the USSR. Now, many producers have the right to use the appellation for their sparkling wines, provided the technology corresponds to the standards set back in Soviet times. Interestingly enough, ‘Sovetskoye Shampanskoye’ is not a registered trademark but rather a ‘product category’: Winemakers are not strictly constrained in the use of wine ingredients. So, the bouquet of different producers may vary from winery to winery.
The name of the wine is always spelled in Russian, the use of Latin letters being forbidden due to international trade laws.
Depending on the concentration of sugar, several types of ‘Sovetskoye Shampanskoye’ can be distinguished: brut, dry, semidry, semisweet and sweet. While elsewhere in the world brut Champagne is preferred, most Russians opt for the sweet and semisweet varieties.
Sales of sparkling wine dramatically soar in the New Year. It is considered essential to have a bottle of Champagne on the festive table. Tradition dictates that the bottle be open when the Kremlin chimes ring in the New Year. You should do it so quickly as to drink your glass before the chime ends. In this case, your secret wish for the upcoming year is bound to come true.
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